This invention was the subject matter of Document Disclosure Program Registration No. 287771 which was filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office on Jul. 29, 1991.
As can be seen by reference to the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,757,995; 4,516,772; 4,194,735; and 5,037,094; the prior art is replete with myriad and diverse baseball hitting instructional devices which concentrate on the proper placement and stride elements incorporated into the mechanics of hitting a ball.
While all of the aforementioned prior art constructions are more than adequate for the basic purpose and function for which they have been specifically designed, these patented constructions have relied heavily on the need to provide some sort of mechanical immobilization feature which physically limits the stride length of the batters leading foot in the act of swinging the bat.
As most coaches are aware the proper mechanics of swinging a bat at a ball involve limiting the movement of the back foot of the batter to pivotal movement only as the batters lead foot moves freely in the direction of the ball.
As a consequence of the foregoing situation, there has existed a longstanding need among batting instructors for a new type of instructional apparatus that will temporarily immobilize a batters trailing foot from lateral displacement while also allowing the batters trailing foot to pivot in place, as the batter follows through with their swing; and, the provision of such a construction is a stated objective of the present invention.
Briefly stated, the baseball swing training apparatus that forms the basis of the present invention comprises in general a base unit, an anchor unit; a pivot unit; a platform unit; and, a releasable foot engaging unit.
The anchor unit is employed to secure the base unit at a desired location within the batters box. The pivot unit forms the operative engagement between the base unit and the platform unit; and, the releasable foot engaging unit provides a break-away engagement between the batters rear foot and the platform unit.
As will be explained in greater detail further on in the specification, the releasable foot engaging unit is intended to maintain the batters rear foot in the proper position during the act of swinging the bat and also to allow the batters foot and the attached platform unit to rotate in unison when the batter pivots their rear foot in accordance with the proper swing technique.
However, the releasable nature of the foot engaging unit also insures that should the batter employ an improper technique during their swing, that their trailing foot will be readily detached from contact with the platform unit to prevent injury to the batter such as a sprained ankle or the like.